Welcome to Penicuik Meeting's website

Penicuik Meeting normally takes place on the first Sunday of every month between 11 am and noon at Valleyfield House, 17 High Street, Penicuik, Midlothian, Scotland, and is followed by a bring-and-share lunch.  Valleyfield House is through the pend or archway on the High Street – car parking is available in the grounds.  Children are most welcome and may have special activities.

Please see the Calendar page for meeting dates.

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IMPORTANT

Covid-19 update - January 2022

Due to the rising numbers of the omicron variant of Covid-19, we have paused meetings in person and blended meetings (but have retained Zoom meetings on-line) until further notice. We currently meet for worship on the first Sunday of the month purely online (using Zoom).  Visitors are welcome - please email <penicuikquakers@blueyonder.co.uk> to get the link for the Zoom meeting.

We regret having to make this decision, as we recognise how many appreciate worshipping in person.  We will review the situation in early January, when we hope the situation will be clearer than it is now.

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We keep in touch as best we can with individual members and attenders of the Meeting by e-mail and phone, and we ask those who know of Members and Attenders without access to e-mail to pass on any messages to them - if they can do so safely and legally.

Other nearby meetings have their own arrangements (e.g. blended meetings both on person and on Zoom):  you need to contact individual meetings directly through the Quakers in Scotland website for relevant updated information.

We pray that you all remain well in these difficult times.

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For further information on Penicuik Meeting please email <penicuikquakers@blueyonder.co.uk>.

For those using satellite navigation the postcode is EH26 8HS.

The Britain Yearly Meeting website is at www.quaker.org.uk.

Penicuik Meeting is a Local Meeting within South East Scotland Area Meeting.

Covid precautions for in-person meetings (when they resume)

We will have to keep ourselves and others safe when attending Penicuik Meeting for Worship in person.  The Meeting Room and other areas are cleaned and prepared for you but we still ask you to comply with the following.

• Please wear a mask inside the building unless you are exempt.  The only exceptions are when drinking tea, coffee or water or when ministering.
• Track‑and‑trace information must be provided.  We will use the information in the Book of Members and Attenders to do this for you so you don’t have to do it yourself if your contact details are recorded there. 
• Please use hand sanitiser.  This should be available on the way in.
• The Meeting Room will have through ventilation, so you may need to dress up warm!
• Water, tea and coffee will be available (and biscuits if we're lucky!) but not food, so please don't bring any food for sharing as there are currently no facilities for heating up food.  We hope to bring back bring-and-share lunches after meeting as soon as we can.
• Quaker literature may not be available as it can be difficult to sanitise, so please bring your own if you want to.
• Even though there are no longer any specific Government requirements, please maintain appropriate social distancing (a minimum of one metre is recommended) when entering and leaving the building and when moving around or sitting in the Meeting Room.
• Please do not enter other areas in the house except the toilet and adjacent bathroom (where the wash hand basin is).
• The Scottish Government is encouraging everyone to take regular tests, particularly when socialising or mixing with other households, and we strongly recommend following this and all other Scottish Government Covid-19 advice.

Meetings in adjacent areas

Other Quaker meetings near Penicuik are:

• Sundays and Wednesdays at Central Edinburgh Meeting in the Edinburgh Quaker Meeting House.  You may have to book for some of these meetings.
• Sundays at South Edinburgh Meeting in Morningside.
• 2nd and 4th Sundays at Portobello and Musselburgh Meeting in Portobello.
• 2nd and 4th Sundays at Tweeddale Meeting in Peebles.
• 1st and 3rd Sundays at Lanark Meeting in Wiston Lodge near Biggar.

At present we expect all these meetings to be only accessible through Zoom.  Further details including contact details are available on the South East Scotland Area Meeting website at www.quakerscotland.org.  Please check local arrangements with the relevant meeting before attending.

Please check through the Quakers in Scotland website or the links above.

Public transport

Public transport is currently limited and some services are still on special timetables because of Covid-19.  However current services are as follows.

Buses to Penicuik (there is no railway to Penicuik):

• From central Edinburgh by Lothian Buses:  route 37 (09:40 and 10:00 am from Newington Road, arriving at 10:26 and 10:47 am respectively) or route 47 (09:56 from Queensferry Street Stop QC, arriving at 10:56); standard single fare £1.80.  Please phone Lothian Buses at 0131 555 6363 or visit Lothian Buses' website at www.lothianbuses.com to check.  All buses operated by Lothian Buses now accept debit cards.
• From Peebles by Borders Buses:  route X62 (10:07 am from Eastgate, Peebles, arriving at 10:32).  Please contact Traveline Scotland - see below - or Borders Buses (phone 01896 754 350 or visit the website at www.bordersbuses.co.uk) to check.

Traveline Scotland:

For additional public transport information please phone Traveline Scotland (0871 200 2233 from the UK, followed by 3 when the greeting message starts).  This phone number is available 24 hours a day and costs at least 13p plus 12p per minute from a landline phone.  Alternative (and potentially cheaper) phone numbers are 01236 634 361 and 01236 634 364.  Alternatively, visit the website www.travelinescotland.com.

Phone calls from landlines in the UK to 0870 and 0871 numbers can cost up to 15p per minute, frequently with an additional service charge of up to 15p per call.  Charges from other countries and mobiles may vary and could be significantly higher (for example for calls from mobiles typically up to 40p per minute plus a service charge).  Please check the cost with your phone service provider, and ask the billpayer's permission if not using your own phone.

Lothian Buses and Borders Buses both have apps that you can download and use on your mobile (cell) phone provided you have a suitable phone.

Penicuik Meeting does not guarantee the public transport on this page - please check before travelling!

Updated 9th January 2022